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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

It's Asparagus Season - AHHHHH.

Spring is here, people! And when I say "here," I mean everywhere. In the past few weeks, I have checked out produce in Florida, North Carolina, New York, and Virginia - and I can say with certainty, Spring has sprung!

Why is this a big deal? Tank tops? NO! Spring vegetables! Asparagus! Peas! Leeks! Peppers! Avocados! Fennel! Bah!!!!! My enthusiasm is insane, but I can't help it. For the next few weeks, farmer's markets across the country are going to be filled with one delicious surprise after another. After the consistent kale and acorn squash of winter, everything will be new and exciting. So I urge you to get out there and see what your farmers have to offer.


 If you have not stopped reading this blog post due to the excessive use of exclamation points, you would enjoy my latest article about asparagus in The Burg. What a delicious writing process this was.


The article includes a few recipes from early blogging days, but what is new is my Roasted Asparagus with Poached Egg & Parmesan. I am not even sure you can call this a recipe. I did a quick Google search, and confirmed the fact that thousands of people have made this before. But I chose to share it with you on the off chance you have not encountered this miracle combination because it is SO FREAKING DELICIOUS. I can brag on it because I did not invent it, but I certainly did eat it 4-5 times this week and take a pretty picture of it. The salty, lemony flavor of the asparagus dressed in the rich creamy egg and nutty parmesan is a winner. I give it a 10.


ROASTED ASPARAGUS W/POACHED EGG & PARMESAN
Ingredients
1 lb asparagus, ends trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
sea salt & pepper
1/2 lemon
2 eggs (preferably local)
parmigiano reggiano

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 450. On large baking sheet, toss asparagus with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roast asparagus is tender but not mushy, and edges are brown. Remove and dress with lemon juice.
2. Poach eggs, keeping the yolk runny.
3. Plate asparagus, and carefully top with poached eggs. Season with a little salt and pepper. Grate some fresh parmesan on the top. Break yolk directly before eating every single bite.

Enjoy and Happy Spring!
Ashley

6 comments:

  1. Hey, Ashley! I'm in the process of revising my food habits, and my current challenge is finding cookbooks that aren't diet cookbooks but are focused on helping people develop better habits - more veg, more seasonal foods, less processed food and animal products (though not totally devoid of animals...), and, above all, practical recipes. My current cookbook collection is everything Alton Brown's every written, some John Besh, Mario Batali, Julia Child, Darina Allen - great books, but not always the most health-conscious.

    Do you have any recommendations? Mark Bittman's Food Matter's looks promising, but I have yet to find much else. What are your go-to cookbooks?

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  2. Hi Caitlin!
    First of all, congrats on making awesome food choices. Focusing on seasonal, whole foods and eating mostly vegetables is one of the best things you can do for your body.

    My current favorite cookbook is "Fast Fresh and Green" by Susie Middleton. It is all vegetarian, but that's not what it is about. It is about learning some techniques for cooking vegetables that can be applied over and over.

    I am also loving "An Everlasting Meal" by Tamar Adler. It is actually more of a novel, but it talks about appreciating food in its most simple and naked state. Those two are enough to keep you busy for quite a while. :) Let me know what you think!

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  3. Your asparagus bruschetta is gorgeous! Lovely photography!

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  4. Thank you, Tessa. I was happy this one turned out so well. :)

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  5. Hi, Ashley!

    Is there a link to your asparagus bruschetta? I would *love* to try it, but don't know how/where to get the recipe! Thanks!

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  6. Sorry if it was hard to find - its between the photographs. Also, here http://www2.the-burg.com/entertainment/2012/may/03/lion-king-hair-designer-wigs-out-jefferson-forests-ar-1889373/. Enjoy!

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